Temperament
by SaintLoa
Summary: It was only supposed to be a regular arrest, just like any other. But a renegade NEXT with unknown powers causes Barnaby and Karina to develop a magnetic attraction towards each other-and worse, it happens live on HeroTV.


Disclaimer: All Tiger & Bunny elements belong to Sunrise.

Karina and Barnaby is a very interesting pairing. I've seen fanfics with them before, but I wanted to try something a little more mature for these two. Rating is T for now. This was originally going to be a PWP, but I decided to write with a little more meat on its bones.

Temperament

Chapter 1: Manipulation

by SaintLoa

_Just another night on the job._

Karina yawned, and noted with some consternation that one of her fake eyelashes was sliding off her eyelid. Scowling, she opened one of the small ammo pouches strapped to her thigh. Her fans were quick to believe that the pouches only contained additional ammunition for her ice gun; they would never guess that some pouches actually contained cosmetic supplies, in case Blue Rose found herself looking a little less than amazing after a night of running after renegade NEXT criminals. Karina always needed to be in control of her appearance-one misstep, and the tabloids would be beaming images of her looking sweaty or unkempt. Her sponsor,Titan Industries, would never accept that.

Karina took the small mirror out of the pouch, and brought it up to examine the eyelash as Agnes's voice filtered through her Call bracelet.

"Are you ready?" the familiar voice asked, as Karina pressed the eyelash back into place, taking care not to smudge her eye shadow.

"As always," Karina answered. Satisfied with her make-up, she stood up, placing a hand on her hip as she readied herself for her entrance. The small room she waited in was just one part of her mobile unit, where she changed and readied herself for her appearances as Blue Rose. It was sleek, round, and circular, with no features save for the low bench on which she was perched. She had been waiting for the better part of an hour to burst onto the scene; when she received a call on her bracelet earlier that night, Agnes was only able to provide her with the barest of details about the crime.

"Listen closely," Agnes continued as Karina stepped towards the door to the chamber. The producer was apparently addressing all the heroes now-Karina could hear the characteristic static that meant her colleagues were also listening in. "The bank robbery occurred at four o'clock this afternoon. The suspect is a teenage girl, acting alone and on foot. She was somehow able to distract the employees of Central Bank, where she broke into the vault and stole two million Stern Bild dollars. She appears to be a NEXT, but we haven't been able to determine her powers yet."

She heard a low whistle, and felt her heart move a little as Kotetsu's familiar voice echoed from her bracelet. "Her powers are unknown? How was she able to get away with so much loot? Did anyone get hurt?" If anything, she was thankful that Kotetsu will still able to listen to the First League's radio frequency; ever since Barnaby had returned to Stern Bild, Kotetsu had found himself privy to the First League's instructions once again. Even though he was still _Wild Tiger One Minute._

"That's the odd part," Agnes continued. "No one at the bank was hurt-they were behaving _oddly_ when authorities arrived, but they were all unscathed. The police still aren't sure how she got away. The investigators haven't been able to piece together the details yet."

_Enough talk_, Karina thought as she pushed open the door to the chamber. She knew that as soon as she stepped out, the eyes of Stern Bild would be upon her. The announcer, Mario, would be waiting inside one of the innumerable HeroTV helicopters, circling the area to canvass the heroes' arrivals. _Time to put on the facade_, she thought as she put one boot-clad foot on the ground, putting on the seductive smile she had been well-trained to flash.

The Stern Bild Police had never been of much use as a source of information. Whatever this criminal's powers were, she could handle it. And if she was unable to, and used her patented Cutie Escape once again, somebody else could. Pao-lin, probably. Keith, definitely. Grudgingly, she even acknowledged that Barnaby would be able to take the criminal down. It was just one of those days where she was tired of competing for points, tired of being objectified for her looks and body. Still, she had to play her part-it was all part of her contract. If the public wanted a show, she would give them a show.

She reminded herself as she came out of her unit, smiling and waving to the television cameras: there was a reason why she decided not to quit as Blue Rose.

_Showtime_.

Half an hour later, Karina found herself pressed against the wall in a cold, dank alleyway, listening for the footsteps of the criminal. It had been a rather lukewarm show so far, she thought to herself. The heroes had all arrived in the area, ready to seek out the bank robber NEXT and to grandly arrest her; the problem was, the criminal was nowhere to be found. Mario had scrambled to make the show interesting for the listeners at home, relating some of the hero's statistics and histories as Blue Rose and her colleagues had searched the area in vain.

_We're losing ratings_, she thought in frustration. Although she could have cared less about the viewership numbers, it was highly important to Titan that she keep the audience's interest at home. More onscreen time meant more advertising opportunities for Titan, and for Pepsi as well. She could only imagine the words that her supervisor, the intolerable Robert, would have to impart to her if she didn't make this capture worth their while. _Or worse, if I have to be rescued by someone again!_

She heard the clatter of boots coming down the alleyway, and she felt the adrenaline begin to course through her as she stepped out triumphantly from her hiding place. "Stop right there, criminal!" she yelled theatrically, drawing her gun out of the holster on her thigh. This was the moment of truth, and she felt it every time she confronted one of these lowlifes. It was time to do her duty.

She couldn't help but frown as the suspect stopped short in the alleyway and fell backwards, right into some trashcans that had been piled against a wall. Agnes had been correct in her evaluation of the criminal-it was a teenage girl, no more than fourteen or fifteen years old at the most. Dressed in nondescript black clothes, with her dark hair tied in braids, the girl looked more like she was going on a ski vacation than arranging bank robberies in her after-school time. But the evidence was there; slung around her shoulder was a large duffel bag, nearly bursting to the seems with rectangular bundles, the wads of cash that had been taken from the bank vault.

_I wonder how she managed it, _Karina thought as he raised an eyebrow. If the girl did have any powers, they were not easily discernible to the naked eye. The girl looked so unassuming that Karina had to wonder if the entire crime was some sort of joke.

"We know about the crime you've committed," she threatened. She did feel a little silly; this girl was a few years younger than she was, and for all she knew, they could be attending the same high school. "You can stand down now, or else."

The girl's eyes widened as she caught sight of Blue Rose. She was scared, that much was certain; her eyes darted from Karina to the other end of the alley, and back again. There was no easy escape from this situation; unless the girl could fly, Blue Rose had her cornered. From the looks of her, physical powers were probably not part of her repertoire. _C'mon_, Karina thought impatiently. _Just give it up already. _

The girl's eyes grew wide, and she gasped as her face shot up to glance at a spot directly above Karina's head. Karina knit her eyebrows, but her puzzlement evolved into anger as she felt a sharp wind pass above her. A red shape whizzed past her before she even had time to protest. "What are you doing?" she demanded as Barnaby landed in front of her gracefully, settling into a kneeling position before standing up in front of her.

Barnaby looked back at her for a split second; his visor was pulled down, but she knew that he was probably smiling underneath it. "You shouldn't take your time when it comes to arresting the criminal," he admonished her, and she felt her blood freezing as he turned to the suspect. None of the other heroes would have dared to capture a suspect she had cornered herself. Barnaby, however, operated on a purely selfish level, ready to take all the glory and points from right under anyone's nose. She should have known better, she told her angrily. _Why did I delay in arresting her?_

She could hear Mario's voice being broadcast from one of the HeroTV helicopters, which was now hovering over the scene. "Well folks, would you look at that? It looks like Blue Rose and Barnaby have both cornered the criminal! Is Barnaby going to take Blue Rose's points, or are we going to see a double capture here?"

"Now wait a minute, _Bunny_," she said angrily, placing a hand on his shoulder. She was not going to allow him to take what was rightfully hers, no matter if he was Kotetsu's precious partner. "This one's mine. Now if you'll-"

As Barnaby turned back to answer her, she noticed with some consternation that the girl had begun to activate her powers. The girl was now standing, hefting the duffel bag with one hand while

the characteristic blue glow surrounded her body, and her eyes lit up in a neon blur as she faced the two heroes. Karina braced herself for the attack; she stood back, gun at the ready, as Barnaby placed a hand on his hip, looking unimpressed and impatient.

In the next few seconds, a blinding light emanated from the girl's body, bathing Karina in a stark glow. She put an arm up to shield herself from the onslaught, and for a moment was unable to see. She was used to witnessing strange and uncommon powers being displayed; reason told her not to worry about such a mousy-looking girl's powers, whatever they might be. In a split-second, however, she found herself reminded of the similarities between this girl's power and the devious manipulations imposed by Maverick's memory-altering abilities. She could only pray that this girl did not have the same gift.

...

Barnaby had no problem cutting into Karina's arrest. If Blue Rose spent less time preening and posing, and more time actually accomplishing tasks, she might have even achieved King of Heroes by now. But Karina was nothing more than a doll, sexed up by her sponsors to appeal to the male fans; capturing criminals had never been her forte, and he knew it.

Thus, he had not thought twice before leaping out of the Double Chaser a few streets away, leaving a clueless Kotetsu to park the motorcycle while he went to go earn the points. Even though he and Kotetsu had achieved a level of respect for each other that went beyond mere friendship, at times like these they could not afford to lose any chance to gain points. Not when they had been relegated to the Second League due to Kotetsu's power loss. If anything, Barnaby needed to prove that they were a team still capable of protecting Stern Bild-Kotetsu hadn't made it any easier with his new name of Wild Tiger One Minute.

Blue Rose had been threatening the suspect when he arrived, but he had taken the opportunity to cut in front of her, leaping high into the air to land right between them. There was no such rule on HeroTV concerning waiting for one's turn; if Karina was going to go easy on this criminal, he would just have to go hard. This was going to be an easy arrest, he had thought, as he sized up the criminal in front of them. The bank robber was merely a girl; her NEXT powers were unknown, but what danger could she possibly hold? _Nothing that I can't handle_, he had thought to himself.

Now, as the girl activated her powers, he felt his body tensing. Her eyes were glowing blue, and quick flashes of light seemed to emanate from her eyes. He was instantly reminded of Maverick's thought-altering powers; a dull fear in his heart rose up as he attempted to shield his eyes against the blaze. _Anything but that_, he thought as the flashes continued. He had promised himself that he would never let himself be manipulated in such a way ever again; if this girl had the same power, well, that was adding insult to injury. For once in the evening, he had a moment of doubt about his choice to take Karina's points as the girl continued to glow, her figure lit by the eerie white light that seemed to rise behind her.

As the flashes died down, he carefully lowered his arm from his face. The girl was still standing there, panting, eyes wild with fear. It seemed that nothing had happened; looking down at himself, he found that his suit was undamaged. He quickly hoped that all his memories remained intact, although there would be no way to tell at this point-for all he knew, he could have been induced to forget anything, and how would he know?

He took a quick look back at Blue Rose, to ensure that she was alright; he could be uncouth in his actions towards her, but he was not totally heartless. Blue Rose did not have nearly as much bodily protection as the other male heroes-there was a reason for that, however, shallow and unfair it might be.

Karina was standing behind him, still braced against the criminal's attack. Now, as she relaxed her stance, lowering her arms from her face, she looked over to him with a quizzical expression.

Inexplicably, Barnaby felt his heart begin to move a little faster in his chest as he stared at her. Something had changed. He was not sure what exactly was different, but he could feel a sudden spark begin to take hold of him, igniting itself above his heart and shooting down into his arms, his legs. He felt powerless suddenly, and could feel his mind protest as his body began to automatically move. His arms dropped to his sides as Karina let the ice gun fall out of her hands, letting it clatter to the cement. Without thinking, he flipped up his visor, freeing his face from behind the red and white helmet.

What happened next was unexpected.

In a moment Karina moved towards him, and wrapped her arms around his neck as he secured her by the waist. He had almost no time to predict what was happening; Karina's face was only inches from his own, a nervous expression on her face as she looked up into his eyes. He leaned over slightly; he was a full head taller than her, and even her high heels did little to bridge the height difference between them.

"What are you doing?" he asked her in alarm, even as he embraced her tighter. He did not even know why he was embracing her; all he knew was that it was what he wanted, and he needed to be close to her. _Now._

"What are _you_ doing?" she echoed, her voice shaking slightly as she looked up at him. He barely had time to answer her before she pressed her lips to his, almost climbing against him as he responded. He closed his eyes, bringing his hand up to caress the back of her neck as she kissed him. It was as though he could not help himself; in another second his tongue lapped against her closed mouth, and her lips parted to allow him inside.

In the background, he knew that Agnes was addressing them through their call bracelets, her surprised voice demanding what they were doing on live television without consulting her first; he could hear Mario's surprised announcements from the helicopter overhead, somewhere in the distance. In the end, all he wanted to focus on at the moment was Karina, and it seemed like she only wanted the same. He continued to kiss her, oblivious to the world around them as he pressed his face against hers, squeezing her tightly around the waist.

It was a few minutes before they could bear to pull apart; by now he was breathing heavily. It was almost painful how turned on he was, but there was little he could have done to prevent that. For a quick moment, he was glad that his armored suit covered his entire body-he would have been aghast if he had to wear a skintight outfit like Blue Rose. By now, he was confused and unable to think straight-as he and Karina stood staring at each other, he slowly remembered that there was something they should have been doing. He tried to tear his eyes away from Karina, but found himself unable to make his body comply with his mind. "Why did you do that?" he asked her breathlessly. He tried to will himself to let go of her, but it was impossible-he felt like his mind was no longer his own.

Her eyes were wide with surprise as she pulled away from him slightly, although her arms were still around his neck. "I don't know," she answered. "There was this flash of light from that girl, and then..."

"You started kissing me," he said. Although part of his rational mind had briefly returned, he could not help but start to plant kisses against her white neck; he placed his lips against her ear, nibbling gently on her earlobe and continuing downwards, towards her throat.

"But...you're responding..." she whispered, letting out a soft gasp as he gently bit her neck.

He tried to restrain himself, but he could not; his body was moving on its own accord. "I can't control myself," he whispered against her neck, continuing the kisses.

"Me neither," Karina answered. He had never noticed how attractive she was until now-the Blue Rose outfit left little to the imagination. He wished that the hero suit was easier to remove; he wanted to hold her with his own hands, feel her pressed against his body. Her skin would probably feel so cool against his fingers.

Despite the heat of the confused moment, he could clearly hear Agnes screaming to her crew through his intercom. "I don't care what's gotten into them, get me a close-up of this," he could her hear saying. "We can cut to another camera if if gets too intense for prime time." It was probably for the better that they switch cameras; he needed some privacy with Karina. It wouldn't be appropriate for the younger viewers to see what they were doing. _I'm not thinking straight-I have to restrain myself..._

Barnaby's thoughts was quickly realized, although it was Tiger who assisted with the restraint; in a split second, they were torn apart. Barnaby looked back to see that Kotetsu had seized him by the shoulders and yanked him away from Karina. She was similarly restrained, with Nathan and Pao-lin each grabbing her forcefully by the arm.

"What are you guys doing?" Kotetsu demanded as Barnaby struggled to free himself. "Has something gotten you?" If anything, that was the exact question Barnaby would have asked himself. Even though he had been torn away from Karina, all that he wanted to do was be near her once again. _What has gotten into me?_ he thought in agony.

"It was that girl," he told Kotetsu firmly as Karina started making her own excuses to the rest of the Girls' Team. "She activated her powers-she must be some kind of emotion manipulator."

Kotetsu raised an eyebrow. "We get separated for ten minutes, and when I finally catch up to you, you're making out with Rose?" He shot a disapproving look to where Blue Rose stood, firmly flanked by Nathan and Karina. "It was the criminal?"

"Everything was going fine until Barnaby showed up to take my points," Karina insisted. Although she appeared uncomfortable in restraint, she did not struggle as much as Barnaby did. "The NEXT...she had some sort of power..."

Fire Emblem sighed as he looked over to Karina. "That NEXT got away five minutes ago," he told her. "While you and Barnaby were giving the audience another kind of entertainment, babe."

Although he still felt his blood boiling, Barnaby willed himself to calm down at this point. Everything had happened so quickly. One moment, he was ready to arrest a petty thief for easy points; the next, he and Karina had began to kiss, for no apparent reason at all. He felt beyond confused by his own actions at this point; he harbored no romantic feelings for Karina whatsoever, and he was sure she felt the same way. Even if the criminal had been responsible, how had her powers been so pervasive?

Still, even as he stared back at Karina, both of them respectively held apart by their colleagues, he felt an urge he could not stifle. It was almost uncontrollable, so tangible that he almost felt ashamed of himself for his lack of self-control. _What's gotten into me?_ he asked himself over and over again. Besides the damage to his own dignity, he could not imagine what this incident could do for his public image.

Agnes's voice filtered through their bracelets. "Alright. You can all fall back now. Sky High captured the suspect just a few moments ago-_alone_." The last word was deliberately emphasized. "We cut the broadcast a few minutes ago. Barnaby, Blue Rose-you gave everyone quite a show."

Barnaby scowled. There was no use protesting it; whatever had compelled him and Karina, the entire city had been viewing their insane actions on the evening news. There was no doubt that repeat footage would probably reach millions of views on streaming websites.

Karina, however, shook her head. "I don't know what came over me," she said. "It's just-after that girl activated her powers-"

"Listen. We're done for tonight. You can all go home," Agnes cut her short, which was a common occurrence. "Barnaby, Karina-it's time we had a little talk."

...

To be continued.

End note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. In the next chapter, we'll see why exactly Barnaby and Karina started acting the way they did...and for how long they're going to be acting that way. Will it go farther than just kissing, though? Stay tuned for the next chapter!


End file.
